Tonight I went to Croxley’s with my co-workers. This is not a new thing. I’ve been going to Croxley’s for many years, with many people, including friends, broomball teammates, at least one pastor and other friends from church, a boyfriend, a cousin, and co-workers from two different workplaces. In fact, the first time I went with my co-workers from my current workplace and all the bartenders knew me by name, it might have made some of the group think of me as the office alcoholic. I’m far from it, but I can see the reasons why people would think that.

Croxley’s is like my version of Cheers, and while there’s no Norm or Cliff Clavin to go drinking with me, there was a Don and a Val and a Todd. And then there was Chaka. He is one of my dearest friends to this day, and he was even more famous than I ever was at Croxley’s. His biggest claim to fame was that he had his own drink, the Chaka Special. I have no idea what was in it, because it was invented before I started going there.

Chaka also had his own theme music. At least, whenever this one song would come on the jukebox (which was usually a weekly occurrence, and usually done by someone in our group), it reminded me of Chaka. Anyone who was there those days can probably guess what song I’m thinking of. Because Chaka, being a telecommunications specialist — the phone guy at Adelphi University — had a nickname, Pa Bell. And so we would doctor a line to say, “Like Pa Bell I got the ill communications.” The song being “Get It Together” by the Beastie Boys (in case you care, the lyrics are not G-rated, as most of this blog tends to be. Just FYI…):

There are many songs I associate with my Fridays at happy hour in those days, but this is the only one that actually brings me there every time.